Why we have published The Guidance Notes
The Creative Media Authority (“the CMA”) Guidance Notes have been drafted to accompany the Content Code (“the Code”). They are provided to assist licensees in interpreting and applying the Code. The Guidance Notes should not be read in isolation but within the context of the Code. Whilst they do not and cannot cover every situation licensees might encounter, they should be used by licensees to assist them in making sensible editorial decisions about the content they disseminate.
The Guidance Notes should be considered in relation to all content irrespective of how it is disseminated although a number of the examples provided are platform specific (i.e. only relative to print or only relative to audio-visual content).
The legal age of maturity in the UAE is eighteen but children under the age of fifteen are considered more vulnerable than those between the ages of sixteen and eighteen. However, licensees should acknowledge that all children in the audience require care and consideration regarding the type and nature of content that is disseminated.